NUCLEAR: South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is seeking ways to get at least one nuclear reactor completed at the troubled Summer plant, including selling the state-owned electric utility Santee Cooper. (Post and Courier)

COAL: The U.S. Interior Department ends an Obama-era rule on royalties paid for extracting coal and other minerals that mining companies said was burdensome and costly. (Associated Press)

NATURAL GAS:
• The growth of shale gas extraction is positioning the U.S. to challenge Russia’s hold on the European market, thanks in part to Cheniere Energy’s shipments from a natural gas liquefaction plant in the Louisiana. (The Peninsula)
• Southwestern Energy, one of Appalachia’s largest natural gas producers, expects better natural gas prices now that there is a FERC quorum to potentially approve more pipeline projects. (Natural Gas Intelligence)

SOLAR:
• The upcoming solar eclipse will affect hundreds of solar plants, mostly in North Carolina and Georgia. (E&E News)
• Duke Energy is preparing for a significant loss of solar energy during the eclipse later this month with gas plants on standby. (Blue Ridge Public Radio)

PIPELINES:
• The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality will hold two public hearings this week on the Mountain Valley Pipeline project, but warns that disruptive behavior could cause early adjournment. (Roanoke Times)
• Developers in West Virginia’s panhandle say the proposed Mountaineer Gas pipeline is essential even though the project faces opposition. (MetroNews)

CLIMATE:
• A Florida senator is holding a hearing this week on threats from climate change and rising sea levels, among others, on the state’s tourism economy. (SaintPetersBlog)
• The mayor of New Orleans is skeptical that climate change is responsible for recent floods in the city. (Times-Picayune)

COMMENTARY:
• Despite recent troubled expansion projects in South Carolina and Georgia, nuclear energy is still needed to alleviate climate change. (Digital Journal)
• An editorial board says it supports the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project based on the jobs it will create in Roanoke Valley and the cheaper natural gas it will provide. (Daily Herald)
• The Great Smoky Mountains should not be mined as part of the Trump administration’s push to reinvigorate the struggling U.S. coal industry by encouraging mining on federal property. (Times Free Press)